Census Bureau "poverty" vs poverty in the real world

[eridani]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/22/947061/-Poverty-101-The-Official-Poverty-Statistics-are-a-Fraud

Federal poverty levels are so far out of line with actual basic living costs, that rent alone would consume the annual salary of anyone living below the poverty threshold. You simply cannot afford to rent an apartment anywhere in America , if your income is below the poverty level, never mind also pay for food, health care, transportation, heat and electricity.

When governments under-report poverty, they also underfund social programs meant to address and mediate issues around poverty. Even when you advocate on their behalf, using the federal poverty line undermines political support to address the problems of the poor and popular understanding of a socio-economic crisis. Particularly one as severe as the bottom half of our economy is experiencing right now.

It leads policy makers to ignore economic reality for up to half of America and produce ‘solutions’ that either make problems worse or leave too many out in the cold. By under-reporting poverty, we have blinded ourselves to the depth of our economic problems.

Even by the grossly inadequate census definition, nearly half of American families are poor or near poor. So, what is the real effect of Obama's Social Security proposal? While more money is always a good thing for the poorest of the poor, the slight supplement to their income changes only their "poverty," not their actual poverty. In addition, the chained CPI pushes several times as many people from near-poor into real poverty.

It would be nice if apologists for the 1% would quit insulting our intelligence by saying that a $20/month increase in SocSec combined with a $40/month increases in real expenses is not actually a cut but an increase.

For a better way to measure poverty, check out

A Modern Framework for Measuring Poverty and Basic Economic Security
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/a-modern-framework-for-measuring-poverty-and-basic-economic-security

[In_The_Wind]

1. Kick!

[HiPointDem]

2. kr

[redqueen]

3. "rent alone would consume the annual salary of anyone living below the poverty threshold"

This under-reporting is not by accident.

K&R

[woo me with science]

4. +1

Also K&R for the OP

[angstlessk]

5. K & R

[etherealtruth]

6. "When governments under-report poverty,

they also underfund social programs meant to address and mediate issues around poverty."

[ananda]

7. Real poverty is virtually invisibilized, demonized, and often criminalized in this county.

The upper classes, the privileged, and the one percenters are completely out of touch with the way the majority of people live.

[indepat]

8. The politicians whose public policies have fostered and promoted extreme income, and hence wealth,

mal-distribution, use statistics to mask (lie about) the extent of depravity in the public policies they've created, fostered, and perpetuated which continue and increase this depraved mal-distribution: the proof is in their works which constitute, imo, misfeasance and nonfeasance of office, a breach of trust, a breach of faith, and a blasphemy upon our founding principles.

[Honeycombe8]

9. The ACA expanded Medicaid to include those 400% above poverty level.

Some here on DU who are concerned about the poverty level and costs seem to dismiss this very important provision of the ACA, which will help provide health care to millions who previously had no health care at all because they weren't poor enough for Medicaid and wealthy enough to pay for it.

[eridani]

10. What we are talking about here is the vast underestimation of REAL poverty

--by the current bogus methods for measuring it.